


Happier

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26369518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Jack sees a huge, positive shift in Alex between semesters.
Kudos: 4





	Happier

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of my personal life, and is kind of like a second part to a fic I posted recently, "Always By Your Side"!

“Dude, after we get all of our groceries and everything, we should go look at all of the fall stuff! Those candles that smell like pumpkins are some of the best things to ever exist!” Alex exclaimed, as he grabbed a box of the coffee that he liked and put it into the shopping cart that he was sharing with Jack.  
“I mean, we can, but isn’t that stuff kind of girly, dude?” Jack asked, laughing some.  
“Maybe a little, but who cares? It’s worth it!” Alex continued, making them both laugh some.  
“Fair enough. Wait, we can’t even light candles in our dorm, what’s the point in buying one?”   
“What, do we follow all of the rules set by residence life now? You literally always had booze in your dresser last semester,”  
“I guess you’re right. Besides, anything would smell better than our dorm does now,”   
The two of them laughed as they made their way over to the next aisle of food, which happened to be the snack foods.  
“Dude, they have Halloween Oreos! We have to get some!” Alex exclaimed, putting a pack of cookies into their shopping cart.  
“You’re getting Oreos? I didn’t even know you liked them,”  
“I’ve liked them since I was a kid, I just never had them in the dorm last semester. Hey, I want to stock up on some chips and crackers, too,”   
Alex walked over to the end of the aisle to get what he wanted. Jack stayed with the shopping cart, feeling a bit surprised. Alex never really had junk food, or much food at all, in their dorm in the previous semester. Deciding it probably wasn’t that big of a deal, he waited for Alex to come back, before they continued through all of the food aisles.   
Once they were finished food shopping, they went to the big seasonal section of the store, and Alex’s face lit up when he saw the candles.  
“See, this is why Target is the best store ever, look at how many different scents they have!” Alex stated, immediately starting to sniff each candle.  
“I’m glad they have so many. Get whatever you like best for the dorm, I’m okay with basically anything,” Jack said, as Alex continued to frantically sniff all of the festive candles. After a few minutes, he’d narrowed down his options to two candles.  
“Okay, which smells best to you?”   
Alex held two candles out for Jack, still glowing with excitement.  
“Shit, they both smell really good! I don’t know, man, that’s a hard choice,”  
“I think I’ll just get both! They’re only, like, ten dollars, and we’ll have some variety,” Alex decided, carefully setting both candles down in the cart.  
“Sounds good to me, dude. Hey, we should probably get back soon, I bet we both have a ridiculous amount of homework to get done,” Jack said, looking at the time on his watch.  
“I have a decent amount, but I don’t feel too stressed about it. I wouldn’t mind getting back soon, though. I kind of want to order some food, and I’ll have less options the longer we stay here,” Alex explained.  
“Let’s go, then,” Jack replied, as they made their way to the self-checkouts.   
Jack noticed a happy look on his roommate’s face and thought back to the previous semester. At that point, Alex seemed so sad and torn up, on the inside and outside, but he seemed totally different now. It was only a month and a half into the new semester, but Alex really did seem different, in a good way.  
“Hey, Earth to Jack,” Alex said, waving a hand in front of Jack’s face, trying to get his attention.  
“Shit, sorry, is it my turn to scan stuff?” Jack asked, feeling a bit disoriented.  
“Yeah, it is. Take your time, though,” Jack started to scan his things, doing his best to not let his thoughts and observations distract him this time.   
Once he was finished, the two of them made their way out to Jack’s car, and put all of their stuff into the trunk, before getting into the front seats. As Jack started the car, Alex’s favorite Blink song came on the radio.  
“I love this song! Turn it up!” Alex exclaimed, as Jack turned up his stereo as loud as it could go.   
The two of them sang along to the song, as Jack drove them back to their dorm. Alex got very into singing the song, and Jack started to think about how excited and genuinely happy his friend looked. He wasn’t sure why he kept thinking about this, but the huge shift in demeanor in Alex was very hard to ignore.   
Eventually, Jack pulled onto their campus, and was able to snag a spot right in front of the building they lived in. they rode the elevator upstairs, and the lack of conversation between the two of them caused Jack’s mind to wander yet again, and it continued to do this until they got to their dorm, when Alex used his ID card to let them in.   
Jack walked in behind Alex and took a seat at his desk, still lost in thought.  
“Hey, I think I’m- Jack, are you listening?” Alex asked, noticing a glossed over look on his friend’s face.  
“Shit, yeah, I just kind of zoned out. What did you want?” Jack asked, as he pulled his planner out of his backpack, so he could figure out what to work on.  
“Well, I was going to say that I was going to light one of the candles I got, but who cares about that right now? You’ve been, like, distracted, ever since we were at Target, are you okay?” Alex asked, leaving his new purchases on his bed, as he took a seat at his desk, which was right next to Jack’s.  
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine, no worries,” Jack replied, hoping that Alex would believe him.   
He knew he was telling the truth, but he figured that Alex would assume that something was going on, then push him to share what was on his mind until he eventually gave in.  
“Jack, you’ve been spacing out a bunch, and that’s really unlike you. Is something going on?” Alex continued, sounding genuinely concerned.  
“I’m honestly okay, I’m not just saying that. I was just thinking about something I’ve noticed today, and throughout the entire semester so far,”  
“Well, what is it? I really want to know now, since it seems to be such a big deal,” Alex stated, laughing some.  
“Okay, this might sound really weird, but I guess I’ll tell you, since you’re not going to let up otherwise. I’ve just noticed a huge shift in your demeanor, like, since last semester. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see you looking genuinely happier, but it just struck me, since you seemed to be in such a low place a few months ago,” Jack explained, feeling his face get a bit red.   
Alex smiled, not speaking at first.  
“I know that probably sounds super creepy, but I’d appreciate it if you either said something back, or agreed to just never talk about this again,”  
“That’s not creepy at all, dude. To be honest, it feels like a really big compliment,” Alex finally replied.  
“Well, that’s a bit of relief. Now that we’ve established that this isn’t a weird topic, I just wanted to say that I’m glad that you’re feeling better about everything. Like, between you getting some junk food, and just looking so happy and full of life over small things, like the candles and the song that came on in the car, you just seem to be worlds better, which is awesome. I remember, back in February, when I came back to the dorm and you were in a bad place and told me all about it. I guess it’s just nice to see you not feeling so sad anymore,” Jack explained, smiling at his friend.  
“It feels kind of crazy to me, too, if I’m being honest. It’s weird to think that I was in the lowest place I’ve ever been in just four or five months ago, and now I’m in one of the best places I’ve ever been in in my entire life,” Alex continued.  
“I’m happy for you, man. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you make such a one-eighty?”  
“I guess I really tried to work on myself and be careful with myself over summer break. I didn’t work, which was weird, since I’ve worked ever since I was old enough to. I also started sleeping eight hours, or sometimes more, every night. That has been a real game changer,”  
“That’s all so great, dude. You just seem so much happier and more comfortable with yourself now,”  
“I really am, dude. I also started to cook a lot more, and through that, I developed a much healthier relationship with food. I barely ate at all last semester, and I can’t believe I did that now. I’ve figured out how to enjoy everything in moderation, and how to not feel bad or guilty after eating something that would be considered a junk food. That had been a big struggle for a while, even before last semester, but I decided that it was finally time to fix it. I also feel the most confident in my appearance that I ever had. I’m not perfect, but who is? I’m me, and that’s all that matters,” Alex explained, as a big, proud smile appeared on his face.  
“Dude, I’m really happy for you. It was hard to see you so down last semester, and I know it was even harder for you to deal with feeling that way. I’m proud of you for figuring all of that out and becoming happier. It was probably hard to do, but I love seeing you like this,” Jack said back.  
“Thanks, man. Honestly, it means a lot that you even noticed, because I’m definitely lightyears ahead of where I was, especially with the self confidence thing. That even makes school feel less intense, too,”   
“Shit, speaking of school, we need to work on homework! I am really happy for you for figuring all of this out, and for generally feeling better. That said, I’m always here for you when you need it,” Jack promised, turning on his laptop.  
“I appreciate that, and the same goes to you. Now, I have an important choice to make. I have to pick which candle I want to light!” Alex exclaimed, rushing over to his bed.   
Jack laughed at his friend as he pulled up his Art History homework, feeling happy that one of the most important people in his life was finally in a good place.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this story is set in the same timeframe as the fic I mentioned in the note at the beginning of this fic! I really wanted to write it, because I'm in a significantly better place than I was last semester, and I thought it would be cool to write this and post it, because it really does compare and contrast the two semesters in a really interesting way. Also, this went up with the hope that it can help someone in a similar situation, which is why anything I write that is personal goes up. I really liked how this one turned out, and it means a lot to me. Please send in more requests, I'd love to write more of your all's ideas! Thank you for reading, it really does mean the world. Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
